NASA and Medical College of Wisconsin have a page detailing the medical applications of near-infrared LEDs. I have to tell you, I would normally be highly skeptical of claims like this, which from arm’s length look like pseudo-science. But even though the mechanisms can’t currently be explained, there is substantial researched published in peer-reviewed journals that indicates that LED light has healing effects.

What’s the NASA connection? Wounds heal less effectively in space, so if a treatment can keep an injury from ruining a mission, NASA has a high interest. And LED arrays are small and light, making them suitable for space, unlike say a hyperbaric chamber.